Dental Healthcare Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

Rabia Tariq Butt, Omer Sefvan Janjua, Sana Mehmood Qureshi, Muhammad Saad Shaikh, Julia Guerrero-Gironés, Francisco J. Rodríguez-Lozano and Muhammad Sohail Zafar
Additional contact information
Rabia Tariq Butt: General Dental Practitioner, Al-Noor Clinics, Okara 56000, Pakistan
Omer Sefvan Janjua: Department of Maxillofacial Surgery, PMC Dental Institute, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Sana Mehmood Qureshi: Department of Oral Pathology, PMC Dental Institute, Faisalabad Medical University, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Muhammad Saad Shaikh: Department of Oral Biology, Sindh Institute of Oral Health Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi 75510, Pakistan
Julia Guerrero-Gironés: Gerodontology and Special Care Dentistry Unit, Hospital Morales Meseguer, Medicine School, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Francisco J. Rodríguez-Lozano: Gerodontology and Special Care Dentistry Unit, Hospital Morales Meseguer, Medicine School, University of Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
Muhammad Sohail Zafar: Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Taibah University, Al Madinah, Al Munawwarah 41311, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 21, 1-24

Abstract: The hustle and bustle of the planet Earth have come to a halt thanks to the novel coronavirus. The virus has affected approximately 219 million people globally; taken the lives of 4.55 million patients as of September 2021; and created an ambiance of fear, social distancing, and economic instability. The purpose of this review article is to trace the historical origin and evolution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The virus is highly contagious with a unique feature of rapid mutations—the scientific research is paving the way for discoveries regarding novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) diagnosis, features, prevention, and vaccination. The connections between the coronavirus pandemic and dental practices are essential because COVID-19 is transmitted by aerosols, fomites, and respiratory droplets, which are also produced during dental procedures, putting both the patient and the dentist at risk. The main emphasis of this paper is to highlight the psychological, economic, and social impact of this pandemic on dental practices throughout the world and under what circumstances and guidelines can dental health care be provided. In the current situation of the pandemic, an appropriate screening tool must be established either by using rapid molecular testing or saliva point-of-care technology, which will be effective in identifying as well as isolating the potential contacts and carriers in hopes to contain and mitigate infection. The blessing in disguise is that this virus has united the leaders, scientists, health care providers, and people of all professions from all around the world to fight against a common enemy.

Keywords: SARS-CoV-2; dentistry; dental treatment; coronavirus (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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